One Thing
by Jalarious27
Summary: After the fall of Beacon, Neo seeks revenge for what happened to the person who was there for her when no one else was. However, when she stumbles upon a lonely hunter in the woods, will Neo find someone to help her exact her revenge on Cinder, or will she find someone who can help make her own loneliness go away?


It is currently nighttime in Mistral. It is approaching Winter, so the streets are shrouded in a light layer of mist. By this time of night, most would normally be asleep in their homes, aside from those with ulterior motives. One of such people is currently stationed on the roof of an old building, a hunting rifle pointed at the bar across the street.

Rocky Rhodes is eighteen years old, with short, spiky dark-brown hair, hazel eyes, and tanned skin. He is an average height for his age, along with a lean but muscular body, earned from years of running and hunting in the woods. His attire suits that of a hunter: a leather hunting jacket with matching brown pants, a pair of brown hunting boots, and a white undershirt.

He kept his gaze focused on the streets below, as well as the bar across from his current location. So far, there has been no sign of his target, and he has been like this for the past hour.

Rocky let out a tired sigh, thinking about his current situation. Sure, he is a hunter, but never has he been on the hunt for another person before. Until now, it has always been wild game or the occasional Grimm. If someone had told him months ago that he'd travel from Vale to Mistral on the hunt of an extremely dangerous person, he would've told them to piss off. Though, he has come this far, so there is no backing down now.

Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration in his pocket. He lowered his rifle before taking out his scroll and checking the message from his partner.

**"****Any sign of her yet?"**

He was quick to reply, not wanting her to think something had happened.

**"****Not yet. Are you sure she's even gonna show?"** he asked, not being entirely convinced of the Spider woman's intel. He didn't have to wait very long for a response.

**"****Little Miss Malachite told Cinder to meet her tonight, so she should be arriving any minute now. Just keep watching."**

Rocky hesitated for a moment, but he decided to voice his concerns anyway. **"Neo, are you sure about this? I mean, I'm committed to helping you with this, but if she is as dangerous as you say she is, are you sure that the two of us are enough to take her down?"** he asked. As skilled of a fighter she is, he isn't as useful in a drawn-out fight. His skills are primarily in long range combat.

When he read her next reply, he scoffed, trying to stop himself from laughing.

**"****Getting cold feet on me? I thought you were supposed to be a fearless hunter?"**

Months ago, he would've been pissed at her teasing, but he has since grown used to it. In fact, he'd be surprised if she didn't tease him. He simply shook his head at the message before replying.

**"****I am, but I typically don't track down dangerous psychopaths."** Rocky said, before rethinking. **"Not on purpose, anyways."**

** "****Maybe you should've thought twice before agreeing to help me, then. This woman took away the only family I had left, and I will make her pay, no matter what the cost." **was her reply.

** "****Is revenge worth it, if you end up losing your life in the process?"** Rocky asked. He knows it is already too late to turn back. They've already come this far, but he wants to make sure that she realizes what is at stake here. **"I know how important this is to you, Neo. That is why I agreed to help in the first place. But I care about you. I don't want you throwing your life away because of something petty like revenge."**

He almost finds it hard to believe how close he has gotten towards a criminal like this. Months ago, he would've bailed at the first chance if her crimes had been discovered, but now, he couldn't imagine being without her. Thinking back to how they first met, he can't help but allow a small grin to make its way onto his lips.

* * *

It was hardly even a week after the fall of Beacon. Much of the city had been evacuated, and those who hadn't were either in safe zones designated by a group of huntsmen and soldiers or working to reclaim and rebuild Vale after the attack. Although, Rocky was in the middle of doing something else at the time.

Early morning, while the sun was still down, Rocky was following a set of tracks in a forest not too far from Vale. He had heard about what happened days prior, but he decided as long as he didn't wander into the city after his hunt, it should be relatively safe. After all, so many of the Grimm had been led out of the forest and into the city during the attack. If anything, this was probably one of the safer places for him to hunt now.

He followed the tracks for nearly an hour, believing them to belong to a rather large deer. If he could snag it, then he would have his best haul in weeks, already having a couple of squirrels, and a boar under his belt.

After nearly an hour of tracking it down, he noticed the tracks were beginning to grow feint, but he was anything but a quitter. If he gave up on it now, his parents would scold him for abandoning the hunt too soon. They taught him better than that.

Thankfully, minutes later, he came across a small clearing up ahead. He stopped and crouched behind a bush, yards away from a small lake where he can see a large buck drinking. Rocky grinned.

_"__Looks like this is my lucky day"_ he thought, unstrapping his rifle from his back and pointing it towards the buck.

Lining up his shot, he took a deep breath to calm himself. The foliage is thick, and he is far enough away that the deer shouldn't notice him, as long as he keeps quiet. He'd rather take his time and nail the shot, rather than rush and scare it away.

Once he was confident enough to make the shot, he prepared to press the trigger. Unfortunately, before he could fire, a bush on the other end of the clearing rustled and spooked the deer and caused it to run in the opposite direction.

"Shit." he muttered underneath he breath.

As much as he wanted to go after the deer, he doubted he would get that chance. Whatever spooked it takes priority number one, though. He strapped his rifle back over his shoulder before taking out one of the two knives strapped to his waist. He cautiously passed the lake and towards the rustling bushes, prepared to lash out at the first sign of danger.

However, much to Rocky's surprise, what came out of the bushes wasn't a Grimm, or even another predator. Instead, the hunter's eyes widened in shock when a young woman, not much older than him, fell out from the bushes.

Her most notable feature is her mismatched pink and brown hair, flowing behind her back. Compared to him, she is about a foot shorter, with a lean frame. However, that doesn't take away from her ample chest and natural curves. She is wearing a white jacket with a pink interior and a wide broad tail, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with high heels having buttons on each side. Underneath her jacket is a brown corset, slightly curved near the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also several necklaces, hanging haphazardly around her neck. Oddly enough, she also has a black bowler hat with a red band attached to her hip, as well as an umbrella.

For a moment, he nearly let himself be overcome by her beauty. However, he quickly took note of the damaged state of her clothing. She has a couple of tears on her jacket's left shoulder, her coattail, and on her leggings. She is also covered in bruises and scratches from head to toe.

He isn't sure why she is out here, of all places, but it is obvious that she put up a good fight before winding up here. He took a knee beside her to make sure she was alright, only to find that she has already gone unconscious.

Rocky sighed, rubbing his chin in distress. There is no way that he could just leave her out her. If a Grimm came across her, then she'd be toast. He'd been raised better than that.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this when I decided to come out hunting, but I suppose it's a good thing I found her before the Grimm did." he said, already having come to his decision. Without any further thought, he picked her up and carried her bridal style, immediately realizing that she is much heavier than she looks.

"She sure is a compact one. Just my luck."

* * *

When Neo finally came to, the sun has already set, leaving her to wonder how long she has been out for. As she opened her eyes, she was expecting to by lying on the ground somewhere in the woods. She was surprised when, instead, she woke up wrapped up in a sleeping bag with the soft glow of a fire illuminating her surroundings.

Once her vision had fully adjusted, she looked around until she noticed Rocky sitting with his back against a tree several feet away from her. His eyes are closed, but she is unsure whether he is asleep or not.

She immediately narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar man before attempting to sit up. Immediately, she regretted that decision when pain shot up through her body, forcing her to lay back down. While she wasn't able to vocalize her pain, he must've heard her shuffling around, because Rocky's eyes snapped open as he quickly made his way towards her.

"Easy, now." he cautioned her. "You've been out for a while. I patched up your wounds, but I'm sure you're still in a bit of pain."

Upon his declaration, she looked down, surprised to see bandages wrapped around her arms, and she could tell that there are also some wrapped around her stomach. She then looked glared back up at him with a look seeming to mean "who the hell are you?"

He lifted his hands in defense. "Relax. I mean no harm, otherwise I would've just left you for the Grimm."

Her glare fell a bit, but she didn't take her eyes away from him. He makes a fair point, but that doesn't mean that she can just trust him. Considering what she has done, and who she has associated with, if he were to find out, then that would mean trouble for her. Though, if he helped her, then that must mean that he doesn't know who she is, or he is playing some sort of game with her.

Noticing her caution, as well as her silence, Rocky shrugged his shoulders. "Look. Don't trust me, if you insist. Just know that I found you while hunting, and I saw that you were injured. My conscience wouldn't let me just leave you there." he explained, crossing his arms over his chest as he took a seat next to her, but not too close in case she tried to attack him. "Anyways, my name is Rocky Rhodes. And you are…"

If Neo could've snorted, she would've. Although, he noticed that the look on her face changed to amusement, and it made him curious. "What's so funny?" he asked. When she didn't respond, and instead just stared at him, it just made him even more confused. "Do you still not trust me?"

She shook her head, and then pointed to her lips. It took a moment for him to register, but then his eyes widened in realization. "You're a mute." he said, earning a nod in response. He groaned in response. Great. How is he going to talk to someone who can't respond back? He doesn't understand sign language, so that option is clearly out.

After thinking for a moment, he came up with a solution. "Do you have a scroll?" he asked.

Neo nodded, before taking out her scroll. She immediately understood what he was suggesting, and she typed out a single word.

He took a look at her scroll before saying it out loud. "Neo? I'm assuming that is your name." he said, receiving a nod of the head in return. He took another look at her, mainly her hair, before letting out a small snort. "I understand, now. Neo, as in Neapolitan, and my name is…heh. Funny coincidence. I guess my parents weren't the only ones who thought to name their child after ice cream."

However, at that comment, her face saddened. Immediately, he realized that he had touched some kind of nerve and attempted to rectify that. "Sorry. I…didn't mean to bring up bad memories." he apologized, receiving a simply shake of the head in return.

Sighing, Rocky decided to move on. "So, Neo. How exactly did you end up in the middle of the forest, injured like that?"

Thankfully, she was expecting that question, and she had already come up with an answer that was true, and also wouldn't reveal too much.

**"****I was in Vale when the White Fang and Grimm attacked. I let my guard down, and I was ambushed by the Grimm. I managed to escape Vale, but by then I was already hurt and exhausted."**

Rocky nodded in understanding, not being overly surprised. He wasn't there when it happened, but he heard that the attack was pretty bad. He is just glad she made it out alright, despite her injuries. Having found out what he wanted to know, he decided to engage in some small talk. "So, that must mean you are a fighter, then. Although, I didn't see any weapon on you, aside from that umbrella" he commented. She glared at him, making him chuckle sheepishly.

**"****I can handle my own. I wouldn't have normally been ambushed like that, but I was…distracted, at the time." **she said, sadly remembering what happened to her partner. When she had found out what happened to Roman, she had frozen in place. At first, she didn't think it was real, until she found his hat. There is no way he would just lose it so easily.

Without thinking, her hand began to move towards the hat, which she found is no longer on her belt. Her eyes grew wide, as she began to frantically look around for the only thing she had left from Roman.

Rocky noticed her panic and realized what she must be looking for. "If you are looking for your hat, it is with your umbrella over there." he said, pointing towards a stump to their right. "I took it off, so that it wouldn't get messed up while I was treating your injuries." he explained before getting up and retrieving it for her.

As soon as he handed it to her, she held onto it for dear life. He saw the soft look of sadness on her face, and he had a hunch on who that had belonged to previously.

"You…lost someone during the fall of Beacon, didn't you?" he asked empathetically.

She didn't respond. Instead, she just continued to stare down at the hat in her hands. Deep down, she knows she shouldn't be acting like this. She has experienced loss before, but for some reason, the death of Roman hurt her far more than it should have. Given their line of work, death was always a possibility, but it wasn't until he actually died that she realized the severity of it. He was the one thing she had left, and now she lost it.

Deciding that she deserved a bit of time to herself, he closed his eyes and left her to her own thoughts. It has only been a few days since it happened, after all, so it is only natural that the news of her friend's death still weighs heavily on her. She's probably still exhausted, as well. He wants to know what she plans on doing now, if she has anywhere to go. But he'll ask her that in the morning, if she is feeling up to it.

Seeing as though Rocky didn't seem to want to ask any more questions, Neo decided to lay back down, holding Roman's hat up to her chest. She shouldn't really stick around him for much longer. He doesn't seem to have any ill intent towards her, but she doesn't want to risk anything. If he ever managed to find out her involvement in the fall of Beacon and the attack on Vale, he'd probably try to rat her out.

Of course, she is confident she could take him out before that ever happens, but she'd rather not if she could help it. He did save her life, after all.

Though, what will she do once she leaves him? That is something that she hasn't given much thought to, yet. There is no way that she is going to crawl back to Cinder and her lackeys. The only reason she was aiding her was because of Roman, and they weren't really given a choice in the matter.

Cinder. Just the thought of that wretched woman made her blood boil. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't have been involved in her crazy scheme, and Roman would still be alive!

It was that moment that Neo decided she would hunt her down, no matter what and how long it would take. She needs to pay for what she has done, even if it costs her own life to do so. As soon as her wounds heal, she is going to set out to find her, and she will ensure that Cinder rues the day she ever crossed her.

With her plan settled, she let sleep take hold of her. Though, it wouldn't be a very restful sleep.

Sleep didn't find Rocky very easily, that night. His mind was stuck on thoughts of Neo and her situation. He also woke up several times throughout the night, to make sure that she was alright, and to keep watch in case anything stumbled upon their little camp. Though, as he went in and out of sleep, he took notice of Neo being restless in her sleeping bag. She never woke up, but it appeared as though she wasn't having very pleasant dreams.

* * *

When the sun started to rise, he realized that trying to go back to sleep would be pointless, so instead he got to work making breakfast. It wasn't much, being just a bit of meat from one of his hunts. However, he figured that Neo would be hungry, so it was better than nothing, he supposed.

As he continued cooking and keeping an eye on the injured girl, he couldn't help but wonder why she was constantly on his mind. He only just met her yesterday, and the only thing he knows about her aside from her name is that she lost someone close to her. That shouldn't be enough to form any sort of attachment, and yet he can't help but relate to her.

After all, he knows exactly how she is feeling right now. He can hardly believe that it has been five years since his parents were killed by a group of bandits. When it first happened, he was a mess. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of survival and knowing that his parents would want him to use the knowledge they passed down to him to keep on living and move forward. It took quite some time, but eventually, he did move forward.

_"__Maybe…I can help her, but…how?"_ he thought.

He contemplated his own question for a moment, until he was stirred from his thoughts by a sound. He looked up from the meat he was cooking over an open fire, to find Neo sitting up in her sleeping bag. Despite having slept, she doesn't look any less tired than before, probably due to the nightmares.

"Sleep well?" he asked. He already knew the answer, but he didn't want to bring up the nightmares. A shrug of her shoulders was all he needed to know not to push further. "Anyways, I've got some food cooking. You're probably starving."

She eyed the meat cooking wearily, making him chuckle slightly.

"Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with it. It is just some game I got recently." he assured her. Seeing she was still unsure, he continued. "I know you probably still have a hard time trusting me, but if I wanted to hurt you, then I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of treating your injuries."

**"****I don't trust very easily. You never know when someone will turn your back on you."** she typed.

Rocky hummed in agreement. "That is true. It is always important to watch your back." he replied. "I'm not around other people too often, since I spend most of my time out here in the woods. So, I can definitely understand that sentiment."

**"****Do you trust me?"** she asked, earning a shrug of the shoulders in response.

"While I don't distrust you, I also don't fully trust you yet." he answered. Sure, she looks innocent on the outside, but you never know what is hiding on the inside. "You might fight with an umbrella, but looks can be deceiving."

His response caused a small smirk to form on her lips. **"Good decision."**

Deciding to ignore the somewhat ominous tone of her response, he checked on the meat, determining that it been cooking long enough. "Well, that's done. Let's eat, and then I want to ask you a few things." he said, causing her to narrow her eyes at him.

He quickly waved his arms in front of himself defensively. "Don't worry. I won't pry, too much. I just want to know what you plan on doing, once you've recovered a bit."

It wasn't anything special, but it was more than Neo had eaten in the past few days, so she wasn't going to complain. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was hungry, and while she could take care of herself, hunting wasn't something she was all that good at.

With their meal finished, Rocky brought up the topic he's been wanting to talk about. "So, Neo. What exactly do you plan on doing, now?" he asked. "I doubt you plan on going back to Vale, considering the state it is in right now. I'm curious. Do you have any relatives you can stay with?"

The question made her frown, but she answered, nonetheless. **"No. I have no reason to go back to that city. As for relatives, that woman took away the only thing I had that I considered family."** she responded with a bitter expression on her face.

His brows raised; his interest piqued. "Woman? So, you know who killed your friend?" he asked, receiving a nod in return. Judging by the look on her face, he had a small feeling he knew what was running through her mind. "You seek revenge." he said, posed as a statement, not a question.

**"****She took him away from me. I will make her pay for what she has done."**

Rocky sighed, but he isn't surprised. He can't blame her, for feeling that way. He felt the same way, at first, when his parents were killed. Aside from surviving, his goal was to hunt those people down and make them pay. Eventually, he did find them, and he did take his revenge. But he came to realize just how foolish he was, to waste all his time focusing on something as petty as revenge. It wouldn't bring his parents back, and he wouldn't be able to get all of that time back.

"I know how you feel." he said, earning a look of doubt from her. "Seriously. I lost my parents to bandits, and I hunted them down, until I finally got my revenge. Afterwards, though, I didn't feel satisfied. It isn't like killing them would change what happened."

**"****It may not change what happened, but it doesn't change my mind. I was alone, before he found me. He gave me a place to call home. He gave me my name. I will get revenge for him, if it is the last thing I do."**

Seeing the intense look of anger on her face, he knew he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise. He was hoping he could, not wanting someone else to make the same mistake he had. Though, perhaps there is still a way he can change her mind.

"Fine." he accepted. "I can see how determined you are. Although, if I can't change your mind, then perhaps you will let me help you." he suggested, visibly surprising Neo.

Out of everything she was expecting him to say, that wasn't one of them. He had just straight up told her he didn't believe she should take revenge, and now he was volunteering to help her?

**"****Why?"**

"Because. While I may not agree with wanting to get revenge, I still understand how you feel. Being alone isn't fun. I don't think that the path you are choosing to take is the right one, but at least you won't be alone on it." he explained.

**"****And what makes you think I need your help?"**

He shrugged in response. "I never said you needed my help. I just offered it. After all, having someone to watch your back might not be the worst idea." he suggested.

She wanted to argue with him. If she chose to, she could easily just use her semblance and get out of here. He wouldn't be able to bother her again, after that. Yet…he makes a solid point. Having his rifle on her side might not be the worst thing for her. If anything, he might make for a decent scout, at the very least.

**"****You sure you can handle it?"** she asked, making him snort in response.

"What do you take me for? I'm a fearless hunter!" he responded with a confident grin, lightly pounding a fist against his chest. "I might not be the best in a close-quarters fight but give me my rifle and a couple of targets, and they'll be knocked down."

She looked him over, looking for any sign of hesitance. If there was one, she couldn't find it. She let out an inaudible sigh before typing out another message.

**"****If you insist. We set out tomorrow morning, once we are prepared to leave."** she said, still slightly insure with the decision. She'd rather just leave him and do this on her own. It would definitely be easy enough to do, but when she finally meets Cinder again, she'd rather not take any chances. If he proves himself useless to her, she'll leave him for dead on the road. If not, she'll have an extra pair of eyes.

Rocky nodded his head, extending his hand towards her with a small grin on his face. "I guess this makes us partners, then."

She looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before grabbing it with her own. Perhaps she'll come to regret this, but she couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the thought of Cinder's reaction. _"You aren't the only one who can have followers."_ she thought.

* * *

Seven months later, the pair finds themselves on the road towards the kingdom of Mistral. Neo informed Rocky on who their target was. He was slightly shocked to learn that she was behind the attack on Vale, but that only reinforced his decision to aid Neo in her path for revenge.

Not only had Cinder been partly responsible for what happened in Vale, but she is also very dangerous. There is no way that he is going to let Neo take on someone like that by herself, and if they do manage to take her down, then perhaps it would prevent similar tragedies from happening again. He still isn't too keen on the thought of going on another revenge hunt, but he made up his mind a while ago.

So far, their partnership hasn't been all that bad. It was a bit hard to communicate during a fight, but they've come up with an easy to understand system. He stays back and provides cover, while she goes in close and finishes off their enemies. Their obstacles so far have mainly been Grimm and the occasional group of bandits, so it wasn't something the two couldn't handle.

Rocky also finds himself enjoying Neo's company. Sure, she can't talk, but they can still communicate via scroll, and having someone to talk to is a good contrast compared to how he was living before. It isn't as lonely, and he doesn't have to worry as much about keeping watch at night, with her to split the shifts with.

Neo has come to a similar conclusion. While still torn over Roman's death, she has grown used to Rocky's company, and she finds it not unpleasant. Like he told her before, he understands her to an extent, which means he knows when it's okay and not okay to push with certain matters.

Her nightmares, for instance, are one thing he knows not to push with. He was hoping they would get better over time, but if anything, they've only seemed to have gotten worse. He has tried bringing it up with her several times, but each time, he was silenced with a single glare from the shorter girl.

Still, he is pleased that she has come to open up to him, at least a little bit, since they've started traveling and working together. He learned a bit more about her troubled childhood, and in turn, she learned a bit more about his. Overall, they had a fairly decent partnership going.

They walk silently along the path, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. They've come to an agreement not to converse much while on the road, simply to avoid getting distracted and being surprised by an attack. Though, they don't really mind the silence all that much. Both of them are already used to it, after all.

Although, Rocky finds himself walking slightly behind Neo, watching her from behind. Lately, he has been getting more and more distracted by her, and this si the only way for him to look at her, without her catching his glance.

Many people would call him a pervert, but his gaze isn't lingering where many would expect it to. Instead, he finds himself staring at her mismatched hair. Much like her eyes, it is the most distinguishing feature about her, and he can't help but find it unique and beautiful.

Rocky mentally scolded himself for thinking in such a way. At first, he wanted to help her, because he didn't want her ending up like him, alone in the woods and left wondering what his purpose should be. Now, he finds himself falling for the mute girl, and he can't help but wonder why.

Is it because they are similar in certain ways? Because he feels like he can confide in her? Or maybe it is because he just simply wants to be there for her. To be that one person she can rely on, when she can't rely on anyone else.

Despite his attempts to remain discreet with his staring, Neo is well aware of why he falls slightly behind her as they walk. When she first realized he was doing it, she had considered kicking him in…certain places. Though, she decided against it, since he never attempted to make any advances on her.

Though, part of her does feel slightly embarrassed about his staring. She had never been in an intimate relationship with anyone before, so the thought of someone being interested in her in that kind of way made her face flush at the thought. And while she will admit that she finds Rocky fairly attractive, she tries to ignore that feeling and instead focus on her goal. She can worry about these strange feelings after she has completed what she has set out to do.

They kept walking for some time, until Neo suddenly stopped, snapping Rocky out of his thoughts. He looked confused, until she gestured around them. He looked away from her, only to find a pack of Beowolves emerging from the forest around them.

He cursed underneath his breath before unstrapping his rifle from his back. "I should've seen this coming. It has been a couple of days since our last Grimm encounter." he said, before picking a couple of Beowolves off before they got too close.

However, despite how skillful Rocky was with a rifle, it just wasn't fast enough to take them all out before they were descending upon them. One Beowulf lunged at him, only to be knocked away by a pink umbrella.

Neo dashed forward, jabbing the Beowolf with her umbrella and knocking it back slightly. It attempted to slash at her with its claws, but she deftly blocked it before spinning around and kicking the Grimm in the face, causing it to stumble backwards. Before it could stand upright again, Neo took a few more swings, finishing it off with one last brutal swing.

Before she could react, another two Beowolves came at her from her left. One of them brought its paw down upon her, only for Neo to shatter into pieces like glass. Moments later, Neo reappeared above the Grimm, using its back as a springboard to flip off of. She landed right in front of the other Grimm, dodging several swipes of its claws. She then knocked its arms aside with her umbrella before jabbing once at its chest. While it was staggered from the blow, she delivered a swift kick to its chin, sending it flying away.

Not forgetting about the Grimm, she launched off of, she turned around, separating her umbrella into two pieces, and stabbing it in the mouth with the blade. After returning her umbrella to normal, she turned to go and help Rocky. However, that meant she didn't see the Beowolf charging at her from behind.

Though, before either of them could react, a bullet quickly found its mark in the Beowulf's skull. After dispatching of that Grimm, Rocky quickly returned to the group of them that were still after him.

He ducked underneath one set of claws, before rolling to the side to avoid another slash from behind. Taking a knee, he quickly reloaded before firing once, then twice, taking down two more of the sorry creatures. Another move to take him from behind, which he stopped by smacking it in the head with the butt of his rifle.

Deciding that there were to many of them to keep using his rifle from this distance, he quickly put his rifle away before taking out his two knives. They are slightly curved with a clean, silver blade, and a black handle.

Switching them into a reverse grip, he stabbed an incoming Beowolf in the chest, using his other knife to block the strike of another. He pulled his first knife free before pushing the other Beowolf away, spinning around and slashing at it with both knives, sending it to the ground with a dying whimper.

Rocky took a moment to catch his breath and was nearly knocked down from behind. However, before he could react, he heard the sound of glass shattering and then the sound of several Beowolves whimpering behind him. He let out a small chuckle when he turned around, seeing Neo with three more Grimm bodies disappearing into the familiar black smoke.

"I guess we're even now." he said, earning a scowl from the colorful girl. "What? It's true. I shot the one that was gonna hit you from behind." he argued, scoffing when she simply rolled her eyes before starting back on the path. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever. You know it's true."

However, before he could follow her back on the path, they were both alarmed by several loud screeches in the distance. The duo turned around to find a small group of aerial Grimm flying towards them. They have the bodies and heads of a lion, as well as pairs of wings, and scorpion-like tails. Rocky has never seen this type of Grimm before in person, but he has heard rumors of them being fairly common on Anima. Manticores.

"Well this day just keeps getting better and better." he sighed.

Neo simply shrugged her shoulders in response, gesturing towards the rifle on his back.

"I know. I know." he said, unstrapping his rifle. "I'll take care of them. Perhaps you should consider getting some sort of long-distance weapon, so that you can pull your own weight."

She glared at him before batting him lightly on the head with her umbrella.

"Ow! Hey! Fine. Just let me deal with them, so we can get back on the road." he said, making her cover her mouth, as though she were giggling, though all it really did was hide her smirk.

Sighing, he raised his rifle, taking aim at the flock of avian Grimm. They are still a decent distance away from them, but they are closing in fast, and he has landed farther shots before. Instead of aiming for their bodies, he chose to aim for the wings. It is a more difficult shot to make but knocking them out of the sky would be the quickest way to deal with them.

After composing himself, he began firing, managing to hit a couple of them. Like he expected, without their wings, they started descending at an uncontrolled speed towards the ground. He was certain the impact with the ground would be enough o take them down. However, after the first couple of Manticore were shot down, they began to wise up and space themselves apart as they started to circle around them.

Rocky grunted in frustration. "Great. We happen to run into the small majority of Grimm that happens to be somewhat smart." he complained, as he continued to try to pick them off from a distance.

After a while, though, they finally decided to start fighting back. Much to Rocky's surprise, they began to charge something up in their mouths, before spitting out massive fireballs towards them.

"Seriously?! Grimm can spit fire, now?!" he said in disbelief, ducking and rolling to avoid the incoming fire hazards. It makes him glad he never saw any of these while in the kingdom of Vale.

Neo was doing the same, flipping and using her semblance to dodge the fireballs. Although, one of them caught her by surprise, hitting her in the back and knocking her to the ground.

Hearing the impact, Rocky turned around and saw Neo on the ground, eyes wide with worry. "Neo!"

He ran over to her and pulled her up, pulling her with him to get her away from another fireball that was headed right towards her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Neo nodded, though her face was slightly red. Partly from embarrassment, and partly because of him saving her like that. Though, he didn't notice. His focus was back on the Grimm flying around them, not wanting to be taken off-guard like that again.

After fighting like this for several minutes, the Manticore began to land, in an attempt to be more successful than in the air. The first one spat another fireball in their direction, which Neo blocked with her open umbrella. Behind her, Rocky fired at it, hitting one of its legs, causing it to slump lower to the ground.

Neo used this as her chance to dash forward, flipping into the air and onto the Grimm's back. She hit it in the back of the head, knocking it flat to the ground, before jumping off and stabbing it with her hidden blade.

"Behind you!" Rocky called out, allowing her to backflip out of the way of another fireball.

Neo looked up and glared at the lion-like Grimm before running towards it. It attempted to fire several more fireballs at her, but she jumped out of the way each time. Seeing that it wouldn't work, the Grimm chose to charge at her instead. Just as the two were about to meet, the Manticore raised its claw up to strike her, only to be shot from the side by Rocky. It flinched from the pain, causing it to miss its attack, it's paw slamming into the ground beside her.

She climbed up the Grimm's leg, doing a flip at the top and kicking it in the chin with her heel. Once she landed back on the ground, she went low and swept its other leg out from under it with her umbrella, forcing its front half onto the ground. She stabbed it in the back before moving on to the next Grimm.

Rocky continued to provide support from a distance, crippling the Grimm or distracting them long enough for Neo to go in for the kill. However, soon enough, some of them began to turn their attention to him, to stop his support.

One of them curled up into a ball and started to roll at him, which he side-stepped to avoid. The Grimm stood back up, allowing Rocky to stab it in one of its hind legs. In response, the Manticore lashed out with its tail, jabbing Rocky in the chest.

He was sent flying back with a grunt, landing on his back. He stood back up, just as the Grimm was charging towards him again.

_"__Well, I suppose this is as good of a time as any."_ he thought, readying himself as the Grimm got closer to him.

Right before the Grimm ran into him, Rocky suddenly disappeared from sight, and the Grimm slid to a halt. It looked around, but it couldn't see Rocky anywhere. It stayed on alert, when suddenly, it felt a presence on its back. Before it could react, its body went limp, before falling to the ground and disappearing into smoke.

The other Grimm looked around, confused as to what happened. Before any of them could do anything, they were put down by Rocky's rifle.

Meanwhile, Neo was fighting off against the last of the Manticore. After finishing another one off with her hidden blade, she blocked a slash from another. However, with her weapon busy, she was unable to block the beast's tail, which sent her tumbling backwards. It was about to strike her again, when another gunshot rang out, resulting in the beast letting loose a loud roar of pain.

Rocky reappeared, a smirk adorning his face. "Take that, you overgrown fuzzball!"

While the Grimm was distracted, Neo struck the Grimm from the front, pushing it back slightly. It retaliated, attempted to swipe at her again, but as its paw hit her, she shattered like glass. She reappeared on top of it, stepping on its head and pushing it down before flipping off of it. Rocky then ran up and stabbed it in the neck, while Neo stabbed it in the stomach from underneath. The duo then stepped away from the last Grimm as it disappeared into nothing.

After catching their breath for a moment, Rocky turned to face Neo. "How about we get going, before more of these things start to show up?" he suggested.

Neo nodded, moving to pass him. Though, as she passed him, she punched him on the shoulder, making her glare at her.

"Now what?!" he asked.

Neo smirked as she sent him her response.

**"****I just felt like it."**

Rocky sighed in defeat as he followed behind his crazy partner. _"How did I ever fall for her?"_ he thought, slightly annoyed, but also with a hint of amusement.

* * *

Later that night, the two of them decided to set up camp in the woods. It would still take a couple of days for them to reach the closest town or village, so they set up their sleeping bags and started a fire for the night.

Rocky is sitting next to the fire, tending to it and adding more sticks every now and then. He looked up from the fire for a moment, to see Neo sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag. For a while now, she has been deep in thought. He isn't sure if it has anything to do with their encounter with the Grimm earlier, but he has tried engaging in conversation, but she seems to not want to talk about it right now.

It makes him wonder if it was something he did. Maybe he was complaining too much, and she got irritated? Though, it wasn't like that was any different than usual, and it wasn't like he was actually serious. He was just trying to break up the tension a bit.

Though not entirely correct, his concerns weren't entirely far off, either. He didn't do anything wrong, but her mind was occupied by thoughts of him.

She isn't sure why she blushed when he helped her during the fight. It isn't the first time he's done it, and it probably won't be the last. Perhaps it was because of the thought of him staring at her, and him possibly having similar thoughts about her that made her react that way. Even now, as she is thinking about it, a small blush has forms on her cheeks.

She could be misinterpreting things, because she is no expert when it comes to romantic feelings. No one would ever get close enough to her form any sort of connection, let alone a romantic one. However, Rocky has. Despite her being mute, he has never judged her or attempted to push her away because of that. He even decided to go along with her, despite not agreeing with her intentions, simply because he didn't want her to be alone anymore.

The more she thought about it, the more it ate her up inside. She was never intending on sticking around with him for so long, and now he seems to have made a lasting impression on her. At this rate, she is going to lose sight of her plans, if she keeps letting this distract her.

Neo wasn't sure if she would end up regretting it or not, but she decided to just get it over with and hope for the best.

**"****Why have you been staring at me while we travel?"**

When Rocky received that message, his face instantly became a bright shade of red, as he attempted to stutter out a response.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, making her smirk.

**"****I'm not oblivious. I've noticed you're staring. I just want to know what your reason behind it is."**

Rocky inwardly cursed. He should've expected that she noticed him. He wasn't exactly very subtle about it, and she is rather observative. He just wished he had a better way to answer her question.

Seeing his silence as a negative response, Neo got a little upset.

**"****I suppose I shouldn't put it past a guy to sneak a look every now and again."**

His face went even brighter red at the accusation, though he also knew he needed to defend himself.

"I-it isn't like that, Neo. I-I just…" he sighed. "I've been…thinking about you…a lot. Probably more than I should." he admitted. "At first, I wanted to try and help you see that revenge wasn't the right way, and so that you wouldn't be alone anymore. But, since we've started travelling together, I've…developed feelings for you. Perhaps not love, just yet, but I do care about you a lot, Neo."

Neo wasn't sure what to do except stare at him with wide eyes. She had sort of expected something along the lines of this, but actually hearing him say it, she wasn't sure how to feel. A part of her felt…relieved, while another part of her felt confused, as well as conflicted.

Throughout the time they've known each other, Rocky was rather open with her. He didn't really make an attempt to hide anything from her. She, on the other hand, has been hiding a very important part of her past from him. It makes her feel guilty. She isn't sure why, either. She isn't obligated to tell him anything. And yet, a part of her is still torn that she hasn't been entirely honest with him.

Rocky was waiting patiently for Neo's response to what he just told her. Although, he was surprised when she suddenly started crying. Never once has she ever cried in front of him. He has seen her cry during one of her nightmares, but never once as she openly cried around him.

Not sure what the correct thing to do was, he attempted to wrap the crying girl in a hug, but she simply pushed him away. When he questioned why she did that, she sent him another message.

**"****You shouldn't care about someone like me."** she said, stunning him.

Of all the things he was expecting her to say, that wasn't one of them. "W-what are you talking about? Of course, I should."

She shook her head, trying to get rid of some of the tears, but failing to do so.

**"****I'm a criminal. I'm sure you've realized in the time we've spent together that I don't have an entirely clean past. For the longest time, I had no one, but then Roman found me, and he gave me a place to call home. He gave me someone I could call family, and he gave me my name."**

Rocky "listened" to her confession with unease. He wasn't sure but given how she seemed to know so much about where Cinder was going to be, he ha a feeling that they had some sort of history with each other. Though, he wasn't expecting that she had ties with Roman Torchwick. Now it explains the hat, a bit. It must've belonged to him.

**"****I know that it might've not been the wisest choice, but he taught me how to survive. And even though he didn't show it very often, I know that he cared about me. But when Cinder came to us and wanted us to help her with some sort of scheme, we didn't really have much of a say in the matter. With just the two of us, there was no way we could've beaten her and her posse. And now, he is dead because of her."**

Her mismatched eyes stared into his hazel ones, showing an insecurity that he hasn't seen from her before.

**"****Even if you care about me, or have feelings for me, I will only cause you more trouble. You should get away from me, while no one realizes that I had a small hand in what happened at Beacon."**

Rocky attempted to process everything she told him, but it was rather difficult. Though, despite the crimes she has committed, if she is concerned about what happens to him if she ever gets found out, then he has no doubt that she isn't a bad person.

She had no one, and then a infamous criminal found her and took her in. She just didn't want to be alone anymore, and he could never blame her for that. He knows how bad loneliness can be from first-hand experience. She may have been mixed up in a life of crime, but she never wanted anything to do with what happened in Vale. Ultimately, her hand was forced.

Perhaps he should be mad at her for withholding this from him for so long, but he understands why she did it. If she told him, he could have easily gone off and told someone about what she has done. He isn't sure, but had she told him months ago, then there is a chance that he would've. Now, though, he isn't sure that he could do something like that.

Instead of leaving like she thought he would, he got closer. He pulled her into a hug, despite her attempting to push him away. He wouldn't let her, this time.

"I know that you've probably done a lot of bad things, but I don't think you are a bad person." he said, making her eyes widen in surprise. "What you did was wrong, but I understand that you didn't want to be alone anymore. And with what happened with Cinder, you said she forced your hand. Even you have guilt over what happened, which means you aren't a bad person. If you were, you wouldn't feel so guilty."

Neo couldn't believe that he was accepting this so easily. He should've hated her, or at the very least, been mad at her. But instead, he didn't seem too bothered by the fact that she used to be a criminal.

"So, I have no plans of leaving you alone. Not now, and not ever. Nobody deserves to be alone." he continued, wiping away some of the tears from her eyes. "And perhaps I am tired of being alone, as well. I'm still not fond of the thought of revenge, but I suppose if we do take down Cinder, everyone will be better off from it. So, in a way, we'll be doing some good, as well as avenging your friend's death."

After that, Neo couldn't help but hug him back as she continued to silently cry into his jacket. She wasn't expecting to ever find someone that could be there for her aside from Roman, but he seems to have proven that wrong. Tired from the day's events, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms, and for once, Neo's nightmares seemed to cease.

* * *

Neo's message snapped him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to the current situation.

**"****I know you do. Even though Roman is gone, I'm not alone anymore."**

Rocky smiled. He is still worried for Neo's sake, but he'll trust her to do the right thing, in the end.

The sight of a hooded figure approaching the Spider bar snapped him out of his happy moment, making him return to the task at hand. He couldn't really tell who it was, and the only thing that stands out to him is the woman's bandaged left arm.

**"****Neo, our target might be on her way."**

She didn't respond to him after that, probably wanting to prepare for the upcoming fight. Rocky chose to use this time to go invisible, not wanting Cinder to spot him just yet. He'll let Neo take care of this, and if they come out into the open, then he'll wait for an opening and then fire away.

He watched as the figure slowly disappeared into the club, hoping for the best.

It was barely a few minutes before he heard what sounded like fighting coming from inside the bar. He could see some flashes of light coming from the windows, probably because of Cinder, knowing that she fights using fire.

Soon after, Neo and Cinder both came crashing outside of one of the windows, before Neo shattered into glass. She disappeared into the fog, letting Rocky get a good look at her for the first time. She has short, brown hair, and amber colored eyes.

The fighting continued for a while, until Cinder suddenly conjured up a gust of wind around her that lifted her in the air. However, not long after it appeared, it also disappeared, and then Cinder was back on the ground. The two were standing still, seemingly in the middle of a conversation.

Seeing as though he had a decent shot, he took aim with his rifle and was about to fire, but was stopped by the buzzing of his scroll.

**"****Come down here."**

He narrowed his eyes at the message, not sure what Neo was thinking. He had a perfect shot lined up. If they worked together, then they should be able to overwhelm her. Though, he decided to trust her, and he hopped down from the building, letting his semblance deactivate, as well.

The brow-haired woman smirked in response to his arrival. "So, you brought backup. I will admit, that was smart of you, Neo." she said before returning her attention to Rocky. "Plus, that means we have another set of hands."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused and a little nervous. Neo has a blank expression on her face, not giving anything away.

"It seems that you and Neo will be giving me a little assistance." she said, the smirk never leaving her face.

* * *

After making it to Argus, the three of them stole an airship and found themselves on their way to Atlas. It is currently nighttime, and Rocky is sitting next to Neo. They haven't had much of a chance to discuss things since Cinder has always been around, but now seems to be the perfect chance.

"Please tell me that we aren't actually helping this woman?" he whispered to her.

Neo turned to look at him, giving him her own small smirk.

**"****Of course not. Sometimes the best choice is to play the long game."**

Rocky smiled, having a feeling that she wouldn't give up so easily. There is no way in hell she would join up with that woman, after going through so much just to take her down.

Then, with slight hesitation, he leaned forward and captured Neo's lips with his own. Her eyes widened slightly for a moment before closing, leaning more into the kiss. The two stayed like that for a couple of seconds before separating.

He then locked eyes with her before saying, "I love you, Neo."

**"****I know."**

She may not have Roman anymore, but one thing has changed. She has Rocky to keep her company now. She won't feel alone ever again. Not if he can help it.

* * *

**AN: Surprise! I'm alive! I know it has been quite a while since the last time I posted something, and it feels good to be back. Well, sort of, anyways. I decided to make this one-shot as a way of slowly coming back to Fanfiction. I'm not sure when I will post anything next, but hopefully it won't be another several months. In fact, I have plans for something that I hope to start working on soon. For those of you who are familiar with my story "The Brother's Legacy," I have plans on rebooting it from the beginning. I just feel like after all this time, and after looking back on it, there are some things that I would like to change. Watching volume 6 of RWBY has also given me a few ideas.**

**However, I'd like to hear some of your opinions on it before I decide to do anything. I currently have a poll up, which will help me decide whether or not I reboot it.**

**Anyways, in regards to this one-shot, I realize that it isn't perfect. After finishing it and reading over it, there are several things I wish I would've done differently, but I have been trying to get this out for over two weeks now. I am happy that it is done, and while there are some things I would probably change, I am fairly happy with it. This one-shot was inspired by Neo's theme "One Thing" from the RWBY volume 6 soundtrack. I wanted to add something to Neo's character. I don't know if I did a very good job, but I tried, and I am also very out of practice. I've mainly done planning for the past couple of months for a book I want to write. I haven't written an actual chapter for something in quite a while, so I suppose I need to get back into the swing of things.**

**Anyways, with all that said and done, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And I also hope that you look forward to more updates and the hopefully near future. Like always, have a good rest of the day/night! Peace out, everyone!**


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